Regional Art Forum EOI

Day 1
Tue 10 Oct 2023

8.15am Guest Registration

9am Opening Address

By Minister for the Arts, the Honourable Tony Burke and Dr Nick Mitzevich, Director, National Gallery

10.15am Welcome and Smoking Ceremony

With Elder-in-Residence, Wiradjuri/Ngunnawal Senior Elder Aunty Mary Atkinson/Charles, Ngunnawal Custodian Jay Daley and Ian RT Colless, First Nations Program Convenor

11am Morning tea

11.30am Sharing the National Collection

Facilitated by Tracy Cooper-Lavery, Head, Sharing the National Collection

Learn more about the new initiative under the National Cultural Policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place.

12.30pm Lunch

1.30pm Behind the Scenes Sessions

Choose from a selection of behind-the-scenes professional development opportunities. Bookings essential. See below for further information on the eight sessions, workshops and tours.

2.30pm Break

2.45pm Behind the Scenes Sessions

Choose from a selection of behind-the-scenes professional development opportunities. Bookings essential.

3.45pm Break

4pm Art
Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji artist Tony Albert’s I am Visible, 2019, three-channel video installation, colour, silent, 5 mins 50 secs.

Tony Albert’s work was the first commission by the National Gallery for the Enlighten Festival, demonstrating our commitment to First Nations art, artists and contemporary practice.

4.10pm Plenary
With Dennis Stokes, Wardamann, Luritja and Warramunga people of the Northern Territory and Wagadagam people of the Torres Strait.

6pm Dinner
Shuttle bus to Verity Lane Market, casual banquet dinner.

Day 2
Wed 11 Oct 2023

9am Networking Breakfast
Catch up and meet new colleagues and National Gallery staff.

10.30am Roundtable: Touring Impact and Reach

With Mary-Lou Nugent, Senior Manager, Touring and Caitlin McNaughton, Manager, Research and Insights, Patternmakers

Hear more about the National Gallery’s touring program with guest speakers and contribute to the Gallery’s Touring Impact study to discuss collaborative cultural opportunities in regional Australia.

12.30pm Lunch

1.30pm Behind the Scenes Sessions

Choose from a selection of behind-the-scenes professional development opportunities. Bookings essential.

2.30pm Break

2.45pm Behind the Scenes Sessions

Choose from a selection of behind-the-scenes professional development opportunities. Bookings essential.

3.45pm Break

4pm Art

American artist Dara Birnbaum’s Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman, 1978, single- channel, colour, sound, 5 mins 50 secs.

Birnbaum’s video is one of many new acquisitions that signal the transformation of the National Gallery’s collection development strategies as it commits to gender equity through the Know My Name Initiative and its Gender Equity Action Plan.

4.10pm Closing Address
By Kate Fielding, CEO, A New Approach

Workshop: Art Through Culture

With Leanne Waterhouse, Education Manager, Maggie-Jean Douglas, First Nations Lead Artist Educator and Noah Watson, First Nations Learning Facilitator

Under the guidance of First Nations educators, learn how to design and embed fundamental cultural learnings within your programming.

Workshop: Tactile Exhibitions

With Adriane Boag, Access Programs Convenor

Find new tools to enhance accessible practices to curate your gallery experience according to everyone’s needs.

Tour: Conservation Labs

With National Gallery Conservators

Join the caretakers of the collection for an intimate and exclusive tour of the Gallery’s conservation labs.

Q&A: Office of the Arts

With Lucie Folan, Assistant Director, Collections Access/Collections & Cultural Heritage

Join this session to hear about Australian Government’s support for cultural institutions.

Information Session: Outward Loans

With Rebecca Nielsen, Associate Registrar, Loans & Exhibitions

Discuss the Gallery’s Loans and Registration processes as you take a tour into the back-of-house storage facilities.

Tour: Collection highlights

With National Gallery Curators

Walk through the galleries with National Gallery Curators for intimate art talks on the national collection.

Workshop: Preventative Conservation

With Lisa Addison, Conservator, Preventive and Ian RT Colless, First Nations Program Convenor

From mould management to disaster preparedness, this workshop offers new tools to master strategies of preventative conservation.

Workshop: Research Library and Archives

With Elizabeth Little, Manager, Research Library & Archives, Jack Ennis Butler, Reference Librarian and Simon Underschultz, Archivist

Dive deep into the Gallery’s archives and learn how to utilise the Library for your own research and artistic programming.

Aunty Mary Atkinson/Charles
Elder-in-Residence,
Regional Art Forum

Mary Atkinson/Charles is a proud Wiradjuri/Ngunnawal woman with family connections to the Carrols, Merritt, Charles and McGunnies clans. She has lived in Wagga Wagga for over 20 years where she has raised 4 children and is helping with 12 grandchildren and great grandchildren.​ Currently Mary is enrolled in the Wiradjuri language course at Charles Sturt University so she can share her cultural knowledge with her family. She works in education and has a real passion for sharing her culture to the young ones and whoever wants to listen. Mary believes that reconciliation can happen through listening and sharing with each other. 

Dennis Stokes

Dennis is both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and comes from Darwin in the Northern Territory. He belongs to the Wardamann, Luritja and Warramunga people of the NT and the Wagadagam people of the Torres Strait. Having worked in the arts and media sector for over 22 years Dennis and has held many roles including CEO of Mimi Aboriginal Arts & Craft, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, First Nations Media Australia including strategic roles at NITV, Australia Council for the Arts, Australian Film Television and Radio School to name a few. An advocate for empowering First Nations voices and self determination in the Arts sector Dennis is committed to working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to achieve this goal.

Kate Fielding

CEO Kate Fielding has led A New Approach (ANA) since its inception in 2018, drawing together a unique alliance of people across the country in governance, advisory and staffing roles to create a foundation on which ANA could grow and thrive. In this time, ANA has been credited with contributing to a distinct shift in the conversation and knowledge about arts and culture in Australia. Prior to her role with ANA, Kate was the Chair of the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission in Kalgoorlie, and a member of the Board of the Australia Council for the Arts. She has been the Chair of Regional Arts Australia and of Country Arts WA, and was named a 40Under40 WA Business Leader in 2017.

Caitlin McNaughton

Caitlin McNaughton is the Manager of Research and Insights for Patternmakers, coming from Chunky Move, where she was Marketing and Communications Manager. She is an arts manager with experience in audience development, fundraising, data analysis and ticketing. Originally from Aotearoa (New Zealand), she was previously Communications and Engagement Manager at Melbourne Fringe, where she played a lead role in the Festival's 2020 and 2021 digital festivals, and tackled the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caitlin is committed to accessibility, equity and wellbeing and brings a strong understanding from the frontline of how data can help strengthen the culture and community sectors. 

Ian RT Colless

Ian is a member of the Dharabuladh (Therabluat) clan of the Gundungurra people, and a mixture of Irish heritage. He is the grandson of the late Aunty Dawn Colless who was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal (a Federal award to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government), and chosen to be a torchbearer for the 2000 XXVII Olympiad in the Blue Mountains. Ian is a graduate of Newtown High School of the Performing Arts (NHSPA) and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Queensland University of Technology’s, (QUT) Creative Industries, a Bachelor of Arts (1st Class Honours) from Edith Cowan University’s Western Australian Academy of the Performing Arts (WAAPA), and a Masters of Arts (1st Class Masters) from New York University’s (NYU) Steinhardt School of Culture Education & Human Development. At NYU he completed an Independent Study and designed a curriculum, through full-time study, coursework and participation with the American Ballet Theatre (America’s National Ballet Company) and observation of The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School (NYC). He is a recent graduate of Harvard Business School’s Executive Education’s Strategic Agility Program. Read more.